The present invention relates generally to personal communication devices which facilitate storage and use of user data. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and system wherein data from one personal communication device may be transmitted to another personal communication device.
A personal communication device such as, for example, a cellular telephone, generally permits manual entry of user data through a numeric keypad and through the use of a very limited set of function keys. A user of the personal communication device will typically, and over the course of the life of the device, laboriously enter a database of, but not limited to, names/contacts, addresses, telephone numbers, and related data. The amount of such data that may eventually come to be stored within a personal communication device could be on the order of hundreds of records, each composed of several lines of information. Thus, it would not be unexpected for a personal communication device to contain tens of thousands of characters of user data, or more.
The personal communication device market is constantly evolving, with newer, better, smaller, and lighter models replacing older models. Users of these devices often upgrade from older models to the newer models annually. The user may then enjoy the benefits of the newer model until it too becomes old, and is itself replaced. Each time the user changes personal communication devices, the only way the personal data stored within the older device may be maintained is to manually re-enter the information into the newer device. As noted above, this process is laborious. Furthermore, many users put off upgrading their older personal communication devices due to the unpleasantness associated with transferring all of their user data from the old device to a newer one.
A method and system is therefore needed whereby user data can be easily transmitted between personal communication devices with minimal effort on the part of the user.